Cardfight! Vanguard: Nation Crossroads
by CajunKing000
Summary: A war between the nations of Cray is afoot... But not on the planet Cray. On Earth. A young man looking for a little more excitement in Vanguard gets himself involved a little competition. He discovers a new world of Vanguard. But soon things take a turn, and he thought his cardfights had high stakes. Accepting Ocs.
1. Ride 1

**This is my first story. A Cardfight Vanguard story. I am a fan of the series and I play from time to time.**

**I have been wanting to do quite a few stories, but I finally decided on a Cardfight Vanguard fic and I am hoping that I will be able to stick this out.**

**I am looking for anyone who is willing to help me with writing Cardfights. A second opinion on how I write them would certainly help since I can't seem to decide on how yet. Please contact me if you up for it. Thank you.**

**Let's Begin.**

* * *

_Cardfight Vanguard… It's become really popular over a rather short period of time. Most games take a few years to gain the kind of popularity Vanguard has in its one and half… Maybe two? Here I mean, everywhere else it's been out for quite some time. The great players like Aichi Sendou, Toshiki Kai and Ren Suzugamori have really taken the game to a whole other level. I see people on a daily basis trying to be like them, using their clans and or closely copied decks, saying 'Stand up the Vanguard!' and exclaiming 'Final turn!' and all that…_

_So many people have gotten in to the game, from really young kids to full grown adults, it's become that popular._

"Time for a Mega Blast," I said. I could see the guy across from me reel back a bit, like he knew what was about to happen, "I send eight cards in the soul to the drop zone…" I did just as I said, letting them fall from hand one after the other, "Now I flip over five damage…" I flipped over the five cards in my damage zone and my opponent's shoulders slumped.

A small smirk tugged at my lips, but I really tried to keep it hidden, "Stil Vampir's Mega Blast, I can pick any rear-guard you have and I can make that unit your new vanguard until the end of this turn… And from that look in your eyes, this will be last turn."

I selected his Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout from his Nova Grappler deck and made it his new Vanguard. His unit's seven-thousand power against my Stil Vampir's twelve-thousand after soul charging, and it hadn't even been boosted yet.

"Prisoner Beast boosts Stil Vampir," In my mind I could see it. My beast roaring at the top of its lungs, giving its power to my vanguard, "With twenty-thousand power, Stil Vampir attacks your Vanguard!" I turned my card to signal my attack and my opponent simply said he wouldn't guard.

Stil Vampire slashed through his Mr. Invincible. With a shaking hand he lifted the top card of his deck and flipped it over for a damage trigger check. It was a grade three. No trigger.

I collected my cards and before his hand reached his vanguard circle, I swiped a single card from it.

"Yeah… This'll do," I told him.

"What? You were serious about that?" The guy asked me incredulously, "C'mon, it's a staple in my deck."

I merely shrugged, "We made a bet and you lost, if it was so important then don't make bets like that," I told him bluntly, sliding the card in to a spare deck box on my belt. I walked away without another word while I left my latest opponent stunned.

_I play it. But… recently the game has lost some of its luster, it hasn't been as… fun as it used to be, at least for me. The good players are hard to come by, and if I do, they aren't around for long because they move on to the big tournaments and make a living out of Vanguard. Or they just move._

_So I decided to do something about it. Make my own living and liven up the game my own way. I make a bet my opponent: The winner picks any card from the loser's deck._

_There are a lot of sore losers. I've lost quite a few times myself, and it's then that I regret my betting, but then I get lucky with booster packs, better cards or I get them back. But some losers can't say the same. Serious collectors for Vanguard will pay quite well for a card or cards that they simply must have…_

_That's how I make Vanguard more exciting for myself. _

_I go about my day._

* * *

At seventeen years old… I suppose I was like most other teenagers. I was on the tall side, lean, lanky. If I were to look on to a reflective surface I'd see half-lidded grey eyes and a head of messy brown hair that extends down to my chin, that I can never do anything about other than keep it parted or held back, and out of my face.

I covered my mouth, yawning in to my hand. It was a rather dull dreary day. After three days of non-stop rain it was really putting a damper on the mood of the city. I was just walking along carrying my umbrella to keep myself dry. It was my usual routine.

Get out of bed. Eat breakfast. Tell my mother that I'd be home later and then start my walk to one of my most frequent hangouts. … If anyone wanted to kill me, learning my routine wouldn't be all that difficult.

I found myself at the doors to the closest card shop to my home, and the only one I actually know about, the Full Burst card shop. The name is fairly lame, and I don't quite understand the reference – that is if there is one – but hey, that's their business.

I stepped inside and set my umbrella aside with the others. He looked up with another yawn, and froze with one eye open. I was on the receiving end of some not so nice looks from the other cardfighters. Some of their faces were familiar, mainly because they had been my latest 'victims' in the past few days, and others were fuzzy in my memory, but I'm sure if I played them I'd remember… Maybe.

"That's him," I heard someone say. I glanced over to the counter, and my grey eyes locked with a girl's rather angry blue ones. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped out from behind it. As she got closer I could tell she was a bit shorter than me but not by much. She had shoulder length blond hair, a face that I found cute, and I'd say that she actually was cute... if I wasn't slightly scared by that glare of hers. It was off putting.

"Hey," She stopped and folded her arms over her chest. She glared up at me, "Hey!" She said again. Did she think she wasn't loud enough the first time?

"Yeah?" I finally replied, looking down at her.

She motioned to the whole of the shop with her thumb, "Have you been hustling these cardfighters out of their cards?" She asked me. At least she didn't beat around the bush.

I nodded, and almost immediately I received a slap against the side of my head. I reeled for a second, still in shock from the sudden hit. I could hear the shop burst in to laughs and giggles at my expense, but I didn't frankly care. I gave the cashier girl a half-hearted glare.

"What the heck was that for?" I finally asked her.

"Hustling a bunch of innocent cardfighters out of cards they need to be at their best," She told me, "Only a total, inconsiderate jerk would do something like that," She leaned up, "And just so you know, I'm using clean language because of the kids. If it were just you and me, you'd be hearing a lot worse," She told me in a quiet tone.

I leaned down to whisper to her as well, "And I used clean language too after you slapped me. Don't do that," I spoke up now that I had said my peace, only succeeding making her glare harder at me. I was just going about my day, hoping to get some new cards, and then this happens, "What do you want anyway?"

Her frown turned up in to a smirk, a smirk that bothered me greatly. She reached behind her and brought out a golden deck case with white lines and accents, "A Cardfight! You and me!"

My eyebrows rose. That look of determination in her eyes intrigued me. She was so adamant to fight me, I couldn't refuse. So I didn't. I brought out my own deck case, steel grey with white lines and accents, "Challenge accepted," I told her, "But," I stopped her just as she took a step towards the standing fight tables, "How about we make it more interesting?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "I wasn't expecting this," She replied to me sarcastically. I let it slide.

"The winner gets to pick any one card from the loser's deck. No matter what," I told her.

Whispers and murmurs broke out from the peanut gallery that had gathered to, with a doubt in my mind; watch the cashier girl put the 'total, inconsiderate jerk' in his place. Some of them told the girl not to accept, others urged her to just to teach me a lesson. She smirked up at me. I still didn't like that smirk.

"No," She told me, "I have a better one. If you lose then you give me all of the cards that you took from these guys."

"… I'll accept those terms, but I need something pretty big in return if I win," I told her. When she asked me what I wanted, a few things came to mind. But I decided to go with the one that had the least likelihood of getting me slapped, "You deck. I don't care for the clan; I want your deck if I win."

She glared hard at me. It almost scared me, since I knew she wasn't against physical violence.

She finally nodded, "Fine. If you win, then my deck is yours, but if I win then you have to give me every card you have that you took from other Vanguard players, deal?" She stuck her hand out.

I shook it without a second though, "Deal." I followed her to the standing fight table. We locked eyes and I gave her half-hearted glare while she was trying to burn holes through my head with hers. We shuffled our own decks and then the others. We set out cards down and a single card in our vanguard circles.

"Stand up!" We both said, "My Vanguard!"

* * *

**And that's our first chapter. Not all that lengthy, but hopefully getting more in to the story will remedy that.  
**

**So, this is an OC story. There will be mentions of Canon characters, but to the extent of my knowledge, none will appear. I am accepting them now and am looking for quite a few, so please do drop by my profile and send one in :) The sooner I get them, the sooner I will be able to work on chapters.**

**The beginning of this chapter is not how I will be writing cardfights, no, that will be shown next chapter.**

**And until then, goodbye all.**


	2. Ride 2

**The vast Majority of this chapter is the cardfight. I did my best to keep it clear and I've gone over it several times, making sure everything was legit and I didn't miscount or anything when it came to the hand, or soul.**

* * *

**Ride 2**

**The Dark Zone is brought to Justice. **

* * *

"Picture it…" She stated in a rather calm tone. We both closed our eyes, "Our souls have been transported to the surface of Cray, where we will do battle," She recited the mantra most did before a fight began. As much as I found the 'picturing Cray' thing a little much, what I did see in my mind was amazing. I couldn't get enough of the sight, and it was pretty relaxing.

We stood across from one another surrounded by an ethereal glow.

"Stand up! My Vanguard!" We both exclaimed.

"Devil in Shadow!" I was surrounded by light and I became a child in a blue hood with two long horns protruding from either side. My shadow became a demonic, horned creature of the night. **(Power: 4000)**

"Enigman Flow!" She was surrounded by light as well and became a humanoid alien with green accents. **(Power: 5000) **

"Dark Irregulars huh?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip. I nodded in response, inspecting my hand, "Well my Dimension Police and I are going to take you down. Ladies first so I'll take the first move!" She drew and added her sixth card to her hand. I had some experience playing against all kinds of decks, Dimension Police included, but still, I would have to be on my toes.

"I ride Enigman Ripple!" Her Enigman Flow grew in size and became and white armored humanoid with a bladed weapon in its left hand. **(Power: 6000) **

"When Enigman Ripple rides Enigman Flow, I can search my deck…" She fanned out her cards and took out a single card, showing it to me, "And I can add an Enigman Wave to my hand," She placed it in her hand.

She had a grade two in hand already. Wonderful.

She reshuffled her deck, "And since Enigman Flow is in my soul, Ripple gains two-thousand power!" Her Vanguard slammed its fists together. **(Power: 8000) **

"And I call Land Battle Support Type, Enigship!" She placed it behind her vanguard. A massive machine of steel and firepower rose high in to the air behind her vanguard. **(Power: 7000)**

"That'll be all for me," She stated with a smirk. She had five cards in her hand. I'll have to watch out for guards.

**(Hand: 5) **

**(Vanguard: **Enigman Ripple. **Front Rear-Guard: **None. **Back Rear-Guard: **Land Battle Support Type, Enigship.**)**

I drew my card, adding a sixth to my hand, "I'll ask now before I forget," I said before I began my turn, "What's your name?" I asked her.

"Alexis Ackerman," She replied curtly. Huh – And here I thought I would receive some snarky retort.

"Remi Lafoyette," I told her my name, "I ride Prisoner Beast," My vanguard became a feral gorilla like beast with horns protruding from the sides of its head, the paws of a lion and bat-like wings on its back. **(Power: 8000)**

"I move Devil in Shadow to my Rear-guard," I moved my grade zero to the back left rear-guard circle, "And I call Dimension Creeper!" I placed my new unit in the front left rear-guard circle, preparing my attack.

A blue, amorphous blob rose up from the earth. **(Power: 7000)**

"Devil in Shadow boosts my Dimension Creeper for an attack on your vanguard," I turned both sideways, boosting my Dimension Creeper's power by four-thousand. **(Power: 11000) **

"I don't guard," Alexis stated, unmoved. I checked for a drive trigger, but my payout wasn't all that special, a grade zero with a high shield power, but something else would've been more beneficial. The attack went through regardless and she checked for a damage trigger, but got a grade two. She placed a single card in her damage zone.

"Prisoner Beast will attack your vanguard," I said plainly, turning my vanguard. Even though both units' powers were equal now, my attack would still go through.

"I guard," She stated, taking a card from her hand and placing it in the guardian circle. It was Psychic Grey. **(Shield: 5000)**

Or not.

"I check for a drive trigger," I said, checking the top card of my deck. There was no trigger; I added the card to my hand and Prisoner Beast's power dropped to three-thousand for the battle. No where near enough to get to her Vanguard.

The attack didn't go through, "I'll end my turn then," I said.

**(Hand: 5)**

**(Vanguard: **Prisoner Beast. **Front Rear-Guard: **Dimension Creeper. **Back Rear-Guard: **Devil in Shadow.**)**

**(Remi: 0) **Damage **(Alexis**: **1)**

"I stand and draw," Alexis started, turning all of her units in to their upright positions, and then drawing a card, "And I ride Enigman Wave!" She rode her grade two unit and her Enigman went through another evolution, becoming prominently blue wielding a blaster in its right instead of a bladed weapon. **(Power: 9000)**

"And with Enigman Ripple in the soul, Wave gains one-thousand power!" Alexis said with a small smirk. **(Power: 10000)**

"And I call Enigroid Comrade and Speedster to my Rear-Guard!" She exclaimed with a grin, earning some cheers from the peanut gallery, but we both ignored them for the fight. She called her Enigroid to the front right rear-guard circle and Speedster behind it.

Enigroid Comrade. **(Power: 10000)**

Speedster. **(Power: 6000)**

Crap. I had seen certain Dimension Police units enough to know their abilities by heart. Speedster was one of them.

"When Speedster is called to my rear-guard, I can add two-thousand power to any Dimension Police unit and I choose my Vanguard, get ready Enigman Wave!" Her vanguard was boosted another two-thousand points.

Enigman Wave. **(Power: 12000) **

Damn.

"Speedster will boost my Enigroid Comrade by six-thousand," Alexis stated. She tapped her Enigroid, "And with his ability, he gains two-thousand power until the battle ends," Enigroid Comrade received a large boost in its power.

Wonderful. But, not for me.

"Enigroid attacks your Vanguard!" **(Power: 18000)**

"I don't guard."

"Drive trigger check…" Alexis murmured, checking the top card of her deck and showing it to me. I sighed and her smirked stretched further across her face, "Heal trigger, but…" She spied her damage zone. With one, that was more than I had at the moment, "But I can still give five-thousand power to my Enigman Wave."

She tapped her vanguard. **(Power: 17000)**

I added the card to my damage zone. I wasn't all that happy to see it was one of my Stil Vampirs.

"Now my Enigship will boost my Enigman Wave for an attack on your Vanguard!" Alexis said, turning both of her units sideways. Enigman Wave powered up, and that meant bad news for me. **(Power: 24000) **

"When Wave's power is fourteen thousand or more for my attack, if his attacks hits then I can draw a card," Alexis informed me, "Attack!"

I looked at my hand, "No guard," The attack went through, "Damage trigger check…" Nothing. I placed it in my damage zone giving me a total of two damage.

Alexis drew her card, "That's all for me," Alexis finished her turn and turned the fight over to me.

**(Hand: 4)**

**(Vanguard**: Enigman Wave. **Front Rear-Guard:** Enigroid Comrade. **Back Rear-Guard:** Speedster, Land Battle Support Type, Enigship.**)**

**(Remi: 2) **Damage **(Alexis: 1)**

"That move worked out well for you… I stand and draw," I said, returning my units to their upright positions. I drew my card and planned out my best course of attack. I nodded to myself, "I ride the Decadent Succubus!" My demonic, brutish Prisoner Beast became an elegant, but still demonic, woman with long flowing, red hair. **(Power: 9000)**

"I activate Devil in Shadow's ability, counter blast…" I flipped over one damage so that it was face down, "And I place him in the soul," I slid him underneath my vanguard in to the soul stack giving me two, "I can look at up to five cards from the top of my deck…" I picked them up and took one of the cards, "And I search for a grade three or higher unit, I reveal it to you," I showed her my Evil Eye Basilisk, "And I place it in my hand."

I did all of that, "And I shuffle," After a quick randomizing of my cards, I really started my turn.

"I call Free Traveler," I placed my unit behind my Dimension Creeper. **(Power: 8000) **

"With Decadent Succubus as my Vanguard, whenever I call a Dark Irregulars unit to my rear-guard, I can soul charge…" I took the top card of my deck and placed it in the soul stack underneath my vanguard, that was three, "And now I activate Free Traveler's skill, another counter blast," I flipped my second damage face down.

"Now I can search my deck for any grade two or lower unit and place it my soul," And I did just that. It took me all of a few seconds before I found the one I was looking for: Dimension Creeper. I placed it in the soul stack with the rest. I shuffled my deck once again and placed it down.

"Are you done yet?" Alexis asked me, sounding rather impatient.

"Don't get your panties in a twist," I told her bluntly. Her face flushed red and I saw one of her hands ball in to a fist, then relax and straighten out. It was incredibly difficult to tell what she was going to do to me.

"The card I sent to my soul was Dimension Creeper, and if he's in the soul I can put him in the drop zone instead," I took my single unit and placed it in to the drop zone, "And soul charge two cards," then replaced it with two new units in my soul for a total of five. Things were beginning to add up for me.

"And now I call Dark Soul Conductor!" Dark Soul Conductor was placed in the front row to the right of vanguard, giving me a full front row. **(Power: 8000)**

"I'll use my Vanguard's ability once again, adding one more card to my soul." That time it cost me a trigger, but since I ran Dark Irregulars, sacrifices had to be made for the soul.

"I call Devil's Child to my rear-guard, and once again I will use my Vanguard's ability to soul charge yet again," My soul was up to seven, exactly where I needed it to be for now. I placed my new unit behind my Vanguard. **(Power: 6000)**

I went in for the attack, "Dimension Creeper will attack your Enigroid Comrade supported by my Free Traveler," At a combined fifteen-thousand **(Power: 15000) **Dimension Creeper went after Enigroid, and she chose not to guard. Her unit was sent to the drop zone.

"Now I attack you vanguard with Decadent Succubus boosted by Devil's Child," My Vanguard received quite the power boost to fifteen thousand as well, "And since I have more than six cards in my soul, Devil Child's skill adds an extra four-thousand for this turn!" And another boost. Just as planned.

Decadent Succubus **(Power: 19000) **

"I don't guard," Alexis stated, and I checked for a drive trigger. By my lucky stars I received a trigger, which I got to add to my hand as well.

"Stand Trigger!" It was my Dark Queen of Nightmareland, so not only did I have a semi-useful trigger, I had a high powered shield for when her turn came, but she seemed unfazed, "I stand my Dimension Creeper and give the extra power to my Dark Soul Conductor."

Dark Soul Conductor's power rose to thirteen-thousand. **(Power: 13000) **

It was just enough, "Dark Soul Conductor attacks your vanguard."

"I don't guard," She replied coolly. Yet another one of my attacks went through, putting her at three while I was two. The odds were in my favor. I had my Evil Eye Basilisk still, and she knew that, so I was set for next turn's ride. I had never played with Dimension Police before… And I probably won't. I do know some good collectors who like them though, hmm… Bidding war?

My turn was over, Dimension Creeper with too few power to attack her Enigman Wave.

**(Hand: 4)**

**(Soul: 7)**

**(Vanguard: **Decadent Succubus. **Front Rear-Guard: **Dimension Creeper and Dark Soul Conductor. **Back-Rear Guard: **Free Traveler, Devil Child.**)**

**(Remi: 2) **Damage **(Alexis: 3) **

"I stand and draw," Alexis stated, "I ride Enigman Storm!" She rode her grade three and brought it to the front lines. It was prominently orange and grey, angled wings attached to its back. It folded it arms and stood tall, towering over my units, eclipsing the sun. **(Power: 10000) **

It was really weird how vivid an imaginary battle could get on a fake planet…

"With Enigman Wave in my soul, Storm gains one-thousand power!" Alexis stated; her Vanguard's power was rising and fast. And from what I knew of the Dimension Police, that meant trouble for me…

Enigman Storm **(Power: 11000) **

"And I call Masked Police, Grander and another Enigroid Comrade to my frontlines!" Alexis brought out her new unit in the spot in front of Speedster. It reminded me of those Japanese Kamen Rider guys. **(Power: 8000) **

Enigroid Comrade was placed at the head of the empty column to the right of her Vanguard. **(Power: 10000) **

She had a full front row to attack me with. This girl Alexis was… a good Cardfighter.

"My Masked Police, Grander will be taking the first attack, boosted by Speedster he's going straight for your Vanguard!" She exclaimed, "And when he attacks. My vanguard receives two-thousand points as well!"

Enigman Storm **(Power: 13000) **

"I don't guard," I replied. I knew I would need them. The attack went through, "Damage check…" I checked the top card of my deck. No trigger. That put me at three damage. And I had two more coming my way…

"I counter blast," She said, flipping over one of her damage, "And my Enigship gains one-thousand power until my turn is over, and I'll counter blast again for good measure!" She flipped over her second damage and her Enigship gained a small boost, but it was going to be a pain in my neck. **(Power: 9000) **

"With a boost from Land Battle Support Type, Enigship, my Enigman Storm is going to attack your vanguard! Go!" she turned both cards, signaling her attack, and in my mind I could see it. Enigman Storm slamming its fists together, receiving the added power from Enigship.

Enigman Storm. **(Power: 22000) **

"And now that his power is over fifteen-thousand, he gains an extra critical for his attack!" Alexis said with a grin. That… Was an unforeseen obstacle. That was very, very bad for me.

"No choice then," I replied, "I guard with Rock the Wall, Prisoner Beast and the Dark Queen of Nightmareland!" I placed my units in the guardian circle, "And I'll intercept with Dark Soul Conductor!" That gave me a shield higher than her Vanguard's power.

**(Shield: 30000) **

She would need two triggers to get past my defenses.

"Twin Drive check…" Alexis stated, "First," She revealed the first card and I wanted to sigh with relief, "No trigger," I yawned instead, and she made a noise of annoyance, "Second check…" Her eyes lit up and my brow furrowed, "Critical trigger! I'll give all effects to my Enigroid Comrade!"

"Rock the Wall goes to my soul after he guards and when Dark Soul Conductor is sent to the drop zone from the guardian circle, I can soul charge two," I added three more cards to my soul.

"Enigroid Comrade goes in for the attack!" Alexis said, thrusting her fist toward me.

I looked at my hand and then my field, "I don't guard," I final said. I had used my only intercept and I'd rather save any other guards for later. Two damage was better than three, at least now I had my chance for a counterattack.

"That will be all for me," Alexis stated, "Let's see what you've got."

**(Hand: 2)**

**(Vanguard: **Enigman Storm. **Front-Rear Guard: **Masked Police, Grander and Enigroid Comrade. **Back Rear-Guard: **Speedster, Land Battle Support Type, Enigship.**)**

**(Remi: 5) **Damage **(Alexis: 3)**

"Fine then," I replied. "I stand and draw!" I returned all of my units to their ready positions and inspected the cards I had.

"I ride the King of Diptera, Beelzebub!" To stand against her heroic alien, my Decadent Succubus became a demonic giant of my own. **(Power: 10000) **

"Since I have exactly eight Dark Irregulars in my soul stack, the King gains one-thousand power, putting him on par with your Enigman Storm. **(Power: 11000) **

Their power was even. She was sitting at three damage. I was at five. I had to end it here otherwise my chances were slim.

"I call Evil Eye Basilisk!" I brought out a second grade three were my Dark Soul Conductor once was. A demonic snake beast rose up beside the King of Diptera. **(Power: 10000)**

My entire field was nearly filled. But even so I was ready for the attack.

My Dimension Creeper with Free's Traveler ready to support him.

My Vanguard, Beelzebub was standing tall and with Devil Child as his support, he was going to receive a hefty boost.

And then there was Evil Eye's Basilisk, a powerhouse all his own. My hand may have been empty, but it was worth it now that I could do some damage.

"Free Traveler boosts my Dimension Creeper in an attack on your Vanguard!" I started my attacks. I could've gone for her intercepts, at least one of them, but I didn't want to do that and take my chances with drawing a trigger. With only three damage, I would think she wouldn't guard. She could afford the damage.

Dimension Creeper received his boost. **(Power: 15000) **

"I don't guard," She replied coolly. My attack went through. She checked for a damage trigger and thankfully there wasn't one.

"With support from Devil Child, Beelzebub attacks Enigman Storm, counter blast!" I flipped over two of my three face up damage, "Since the number of Dark Irregulars in my soul is more than six, I can use Beelzebub's skill and counter blast! I can give up to two of my rear-guards an extra three-thousand power!"

"Dimension Creeper and Evil Eyes Basilisk will be getting that bonus!" In case of a stand trigger, the extra power would help me out.

Evil Eyes Basilisk **(Power: 13000)**

Dimension Creeper **(Power: 10000) **

"And with Devil Child's skill, Beelzebub gains another four-thousand power since I have more than six cards in my soul!" My King was about to receive the largest boost of them all. The demonic king roared at the top of his lungs, making all but Enigman Storm reel back in fear of his might.

King of Diptera, Beelzebub **(Power: 21000) **

"Attack King!" I exclaimed, "Attack her Vanguard!"

"Perfect Guard," I could've sworn my heart skipped a couple beats when heard those two words. I was so focused on the card under my fingers, I wasn't looking at Alexis. I glanced up, hoping it would be some kind of joke like she was messing with me out of her own nervousness, but there it was. Diamond Ace. One of the Dimension Polices' Perfect Guards.

She discarded a single card from her hand and my attacked was nullified.

"I still have my twin drive, first check…" I received a grade one, good for a guard, but it did me little good at the moment, "Second check," And my luck finally paid off… sort of, "Draw trigger, I draw a card and those five-thousand points will go to Evil Eye Basilisk!"

Evil Eye Basilisk **(Power: 18000)**

"I attack with Evil Eye Basilisk! And with a Dark Irregulars vanguard, he gains an additional two-thousand power!" He received a small boost, but hopefully it would be enough. **(Power: 20000)**

"I intercept with my Enigroid Comrade and Masked Police, Grander," She stated. She had stopped it with a combined shield of ten-thousand. With Basilisk's power at twenty-thousand, that shield cut him down to ten-thousand. One-thousand power short of breaking through her defenses and dealing damage…

Three attacks and only one had made it through, undoubtedly because she had wanted it to. I had gotten so wrapped up in drawing a trigger that I had forgotten about her _two_ grade two's in the front row…

My shoulders slumped and I ran a hand through my hair, "I end my turn then."

**(Hand: 3)**

**(Soul: 8)**

**(Vanguard: **King of Diptera, Beelzebub. **Front Rear-Guard: **Evil Eye Basilisk and Knowledge Drunkard. **Back Rear-Guard: **Free Traveler and Devil Child.**) **

**(Remi: 5) **Damage **(Alexis: 4) **

"I stand and draw," Alexis stated, returning her units to their upright and ready positions on the playing field, "I call Speedster!" **(Power: 6000)** "And with his ability I give two-thousand power to my Vanguard."

Enigman Storm **(Power: 13000) **

"Masked Police, Grander will attack your King of Diptera first, and with his skill, my Vanguard gains another two-thousand power!" Grander jumped in to action with a hefty boost from Speedster while Enigman Storm gained another small bonus.

Masked Police, Grander **(Power: 14000)**

Enigman Storm **(Power: 15000) **

"I guard that attack with my Hysteric Shirley!" I countered.

"I attack with Enigroid Comrade, boosted by my other Speedster! And with his ability he gains an additional two-thousand power making for a total of eighteen-thousand power!" **(Power: 18000) **

"I guard with Mad Hatter of Nightmareland," I placed my unit in to the guardian circle A ten-thousand point shield. Her Enigroid was stopped short of attacked my Vanguard.

Alexis grinned from ear to ear and the audience we had looked overjoyed. I could only guess why, "With a boost from Land Battle Support Type, Enigship, my vanguard, Enigman Storm, attacks your vanguard!" All cannons of the massive ship trained on my King of Diptera and Enigman Storm charged up its attack.

Enigman Storm. **(Power: 18000) **

I looked at my hand. I had Stil Vampir and that was it.

"… I don't guard," I said evenly.

"Twin drive check," Alexis said. Both of her draws gave her nothing but more guards, but at the moment they were useless, and it didn't frankly matter whether she drew a trigger or not.

The King of Diptera, Beelzebub was enveloped in light in my mind.

"Damage check…" I revealed the top card of my deck, "No trigger." I placed the card in my damage zone, giving me a total of six. By the rules of the game, I had lost.

"All right!" Alexis cheered. She pumped her fists in to the air, a grin spread across her face. I kept my gaze down at the table, ignoring the cheering, and the occasional jeering directed toward me, from the crowd. I had lost. Strangely enough, I didn't feel bad… Partly anyway. Losing that match meant I lost something else… A lot of somethings.

Alexis held out her hand and pointed to her palm, "Hand them over! Every single card you have, now!" She demanded, "Now hand them over!" I averted my eyes, looking anywhere but in her direction. But with a little over a dozen people surrounding us, I decided on some poster.

I reached to my belt and brought out a spare deck box. I brought out a decks worth of cards, and set them in her hand, "There you go. Good luck finding the _real_ owners," I told her. She was crowded by the other cardfighters, and I decided it was my time to go.

"H-hey! Get off me, calm down!" Alexis shouted, trying to elbow her way out of the crowd. I cast her one last glance, and I smirked to myself.

I went to the door and grabbed my umbrella. I took my leave.

_For a split second, despite the rain, my perpetual sleepiness, and my boredom, life and Vanguard didn't seem as dull as before. But only for a split second. I had lost quite a few valuable cards, but that was down fall of my cockiness and my betting. Now I had to look for a job or something, I needed to do something with my time._

_I think I found myself an opponent._

* * *

**And there you have it. The conclusion to chapter 2. It was all Cardfight, but that was what I was going for. I am hoping that it was clear enough to understand, if there were any problems, do tell me.**

**I also hope that you all enjoyed it.**

**I'll specify certain things now, while I can, and I'll probably add this to my profile for future reference...**

**1.** Whenever I describe the field, the Front and Back rows, it is from left to right. Always. The front unit and the one behind it in the back row.

**2. **I add "Soul" and other counts when those aspects have to be taken in to account for the game. I.e. Needing to know how many are in the soul for Dark Irregulars, or Drop Zone for Granblue.

**And I think that is it.**

**Until 'Ride 3', goodbye everyone. Have a good one.**


	3. Ride 3

**Hi everyone Sorry for that extra-long wait. I'm going to give you guys the details on what is happening with this fic. Nothing Bad, I promise. But that will come at the end of the chapter, until then, enjoy.**

**-Opening- Mask **by Aqua Timez

* * *

_I had lost. My Dark Irregulars had lost out to the Dimension Police. _

_I'm not trying to make it sound like me losing is some sign of the apocalypse, no way, but what makes it really sting is that I lost so many valuable cards. So many wasted hours of collecting, boring card fights and dealing with the whiners: all down the drain. I had to cancel __**A Lot**__ of appointments with potential buyers of some of those cards. _

_They were not pleased._

_For the past week I have been going back to that shop, and I've wanted to fight her. Now I'm not being some creepy obsessed stalker, no, not at all… Maybe that didn't help my case though._

_I just wanted to have a Cardfight with her again. Okay? That's seven fights since my first loss against her._

_She accepted all seven times, and out of all of them I have only won one fight. Every time I would change small things about my deck so that she wouldn't be able to fully learn my play style and adapt to it, but every time she kept her wits about her, which was strange considering how damn violent she could be, and she would win. Except for that one time of course, but in the back of my mind I think I got lucky that day…_

_She was really good at Vanguard. Dimension Police aren't a clan to take lightly._

* * *

Today made eight days I had been going about the same routine, and in all honesty it seemed even simpler than my usual one before. If someone wanted to kill me, they definitely could've without question…

I've been watching too many police shows. I see that now.

I would wake up. Adjust my deck in some way. I'd eat my breakfast, go to school and then head off for the Full Burst card shop once it was all over… And I woke up of course.

What? My English teacher bores me to tears.

I learned that Alexis worked there as a cashier in the afternoons, something I hadn't somehow grasped my first time being there. If she wasn't there then she either wasn't working, or I was early and didn't realize what time it was. I do believe I'm beginning to sound like a stalker.

I'm not. You just watch enough crime drama police shows in your spare time and you start to pick up on patterns…

I'd sit at my usual table in the shop. I'd sit there with a drink, waiting out the clock until Alexis would arrive, and she and I could Cardfight. I would normally mess around with my deck, trying to come up with a new strategy, but I had no way of testing it.

I had built up a bit of… bad reputation amongst the other cardfighters in town. Apparently they didn't take kindly to me taking some of their rare cards or their deck staples. They got them back… mostly all of them, but still they avoided me. I wasn't complaining, gave me time to think actually.

I yawned in to my hand and stretched my tired joints. I spied the clock. It was then that it hit me I had been sitting here for the past three hours doing totally nothing. Had I fallen asleep? It wasn't impossible.

I glanced over my shoulder at the counter. Alexis wasn't there. Maybe she took a sick day or something… No skin off of my bones, but I was bummed that I had wasted a portion of my day. I felt a heavy hand on my other shoulder, and hesitantly I glanced up.

It was a middle aged guy. He had dark brown hair that was messily styled and green eyes. Some stubble around his jaw too. He looked like any normal person. He worked for the shop, an easy guess seeing as he was dressed rather neatly, and he wore a name tag with his name under 'Full Burst'. Max Dornez…

"Alright, guy," He had a British kind of accent, "You've been 'ere doin' nothin' for the past couple 'ours now, buy somethin' or move along," He told me, patting me on the shoulder. He walked away without another word to deal with customers waiting at the counter.

I sighed. What other choice did I have?

I handed him a couple booster packs to scan, "Dark Irregulars, eh?" He asked me. My eyebrows rose a bit, I was curious to how he knew that. If he had been looking over my shoulder while I was working on my deck then I might have to reconsider coming back here…

"Yeah," I replied, being handed the packs while I handed him the money.

"Rampage of the Beast King is a good booster if you're lookin' for cards," Max told me, "You've got a good play style. Maybe whatever you find'll help ya."

"How did you know I play Dark Irregulars?" I asked him.

"I watched your fights with my cashier, Alexis," He replied. His cashier? Apparently he could read minds or something, because then I heard, "It's my shop, kid. I own Full Burst." In the back of my mind I wanted to ask him why he picked such a… strange name. Yeah, strange was a nice way of putting it.

But I decided against it.

"All right then," I replied plainly. I took my booster packs, and stifled a yawn as I told him, "I'll be back tomorrow…" I pocketed the two packs and took my leave.

Max brought out a magazine with all of the latest Vanguard news in it. He flipped through a few pages, and rested his elbows on the counter seeing as he wasn't busy, "Team Q4 wins another nationals over Team Asteroid… Man the big leagues of Vanguard sure are intense," He spoke to himself.

The shop bell rang and he looked up, a smile stretching across his face, "Alexis! You know you just missed that admirer of yours, right?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows. His blond haired assistant certainly did not look amused.

"He was here again?" Alexis asked and Max replied with a simple nod, "That guy doesn't know when to give up," She sighed, her brow furrowing in annoyance. She set her things down in a corner of the room and grabbed an apron with her own name tag on it, "He's been here for the past week, every time he loses and he walks away, and then he comes back the next day!" She huffed exasperatedly.

"Well he did win that one time," Max added.

"… Whatever," Alexis replied.

"So, how did training go?" Max asked, "Any head way?"

Alexis took his spot behind the counter and he walked around to the front, "Not much. Nicolette still doubts herself; Richard is still too carefree… They're both good, but…" She absentmindedly began to twirl a strand of hair around her finger, "Ember is busy with school… And Jayce comes and goes. If things continue like this, then we won't have enough members for when the tournament really starts!" Her usual confident tone was gone, replaced by one that held a small bit of hopelessness.

"It's a mess."

Max nodded, showing that he was listening, "Well… We're still looking for the sixth member…" He said, leaning closer. His eyebrows rose, "A player who runs a clan from the Dark Zone."

Alexis' head snapped up and she immediately crossed her arms in to 'X' in front of her chest, "Not going to happen!" She said rather loudly, a frown marring her face, "He's good. I'll give him that, but he isn't at Kendrick's level, and he was our best!" Her shoulders slumped, her voice lost its volume, and she glanced around, finally stopping on the counter.

"Kendrick…"

Max patted her shoulder, "He made his choice. We'll see him again, and we'll win, but the others have lives just like you," He told her sagely, "They can't devote all of their time to Vanguard. You know that. We only need four to really compete, and Nicolette and Richard have been reliable always, and Ember too when things don't come up, and Jayce has come through in the past too."

Alexis glanced up at him, wondering where he was going with all of this, and as if reading her mind, he said "With six members, we wouldn't have these kinds of problems, don't you think?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Alexis glared up at him half-heartedly. Max gave her shoulder another pat.

"Think it over; we may have enough members, but life is life… And a new Dark Zone player wouldn't hurt anything," And with that Max walked away, leaving Alexis to think about what he had said. The blond girl rested her elbows on the table; she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Damn…" She muttered.

* * *

I whistled the beat of a song I had heard so many times that I could recite the lyrics like nothing. I couldn't sing to save my life, but hey, there are a ton of people who can't and that doesn't stop them from trying. I had very little I wanted to do today. The sun was on its way down to make room for the moon, lighting up the sky with sorts of colors. I wasted a few hours at the card shop just waiting for that Alexis girl…

And now, a few hours later, I found myself going back. It was a Friday. I could waste time…

But I was definitely trying to figure out why I was going to waste time there of all places. My body was practically moving of its own accord since I had no idea where I wanted to go.

Full Burst was in my sights. Maybe I'd get lucky and Alexis would be working a later shift and I'd get my daily Cardfight after all. A few feet from the door, there was that chime that followed the sliding doors any time they opened, to signal a customer coming and going, and who else would walk out, but just the girl I came to see.

She stopped. So did I. She turned to face me. She actually looked… sad. But then I found myself on the receiving end of her annoyed glare almost immediately after our eyes locked. In my mind, the Cardfight could wait. I moved to take a step back, but she advanced on me much faster than I was trying to retreat and she grabbed me by my collar. I was pulled down to eye level with her.

"Mmm…" She practically growled at me! Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She almost looked like she was thinking about something. I didn't much feel like being manhandled by a girl, so I grabbed her wrist to free myself… But the next second I was being dragged by her. I nearly fell because she was moving so quickly!

She didn't drag me very far, we just went to the corner of the shop in fact, but I knew that was away from the windows and doors. I did not have the best of feelings right now. Normally, a girl pulling me aside… I wouldn't think anything of it. If they were sweet that is. This girl Alexis was the exact opposite and the glare she had been giving me before didn't help my feelings about this. I was about to just pull away from her and ask her just what the heck was doing… When I was pushed against the wall!

Geez, this girl was strong… And quick for that matter. She beats me to the punch every time.

I glanced down and she was glaring at me again. Not with anger like the first time we met, or with annoyance like the next six times after that. This was something else…

"I'm still against this…" She started, and I was already confused, "By we need a sixth member and you've shown up every day for the last eight days, so you're punctual… And maybe a bit of a stalker," Now that was uncalled for.

"You're the first decent Cardfight I've had in a while. I want to fight you more, is that a problem?" I asked her. When she opened her mouth again, I learned that she had completely ignored me.

"If you tell anyone about this place, then I'm going to stick my foot straight up a place where the sun doesn't shine," She pulled me down to eye level again, "I don't bluff, guy, so don't test me either."

I took my chance while I had it, and pulled her hand off of me, "Okay, one question and then you can continue," Her eyes narrowed. I don't think I've ever seen this much hate from a human being directed at me. I've seen hate directed at me, just not this much, "What the heck are you on about? Sixth member? This is all sounding like come occult deal, and let me say it now… I don't do that kind of thing."

She smacked her forehead with her palm, "You… Oh, wow…" She sighed heavily, running her hand over her face, "Just… Follow me, Max can explain it better."

"He'll probably be nicer about it too…" He replied under my breath. She ignored me, but I caught her glare. Something she said caught my attention, "Hold on… What's Max got to do with this?" She never answered my question. She merely turned on her heels and started for the front door of the card shop. Against my better judgment I followed her. In my mind, I think it was because that my current situation was pretty interesting…

She entered the shop, and as I passed by the display window Max was flipping the 'Open' sign over to the 'Closed' side. That was suspicious at all…

I did feel a bit better though. A stepped in to the card shop behind Alexis, and I noticed four other people. There was a girl wear a simple dark blue polo shirt and track pants, oddly enough with my school colors, cardfighting against a guy in a green hoody jacket. His hood was up and his back was to me so I couldn't see anything else than the hoody.

A girl with a strange hairstyle and some calm looking guy were watching the Cardfight. I stepped on the mat in front of the door, and there was that distinctive chime that played anyone entered the shop. All eyes were on us now…

"Remi!" Max greeted me, "Glad to see you came by. Alexis got you here pretty quick."

That made me curious, "I was on my way here when she stopped me outside… What's going on?" I asked, glancing around the card shop. I felt a need to be near a security camera.

Max smirked and motioned to one of the people at the table. It was calm looking guy. Now that he was getting closer, I could tell what he really looked like. Messy, blond hair, grey eyes. He was around my height as well, maybe an inch or two shorter.

"Remi Lafoyette, this is Richard Briar," Max gave the introduction, "And Richard, this is Remi"

Richard outstretched his hand, a friendly smile on his face, "Hey there, Remi, It's nice to meet ya."

It was a simple handshake. I didn't have to be paranoid about this at least. I shook his hand, "Yeah, you too."

Max cleared his throat, "Let me ask you this first, Remi, did Alexis tell you about what's going on?" I answered with a simple shake of my head, and he nodded in turn, "Then I will… But first, I'd like you to fight Richard here. Whether you win or lose, I'll still tell you."

"Then what's the point if you're going to tell me anyway?" I asked him.

"A test," He replied.

A test? For what exactly? Oh wait… I glanced toward Richard, and he brought out a red deck box, his smile widening, and I could see a fire in his eyes. He was ready for a Cardfight. I glanced to the three others around the table. They had either finished their match or stopped, because they were obviously making way for us. Then my eyes traveled to Alexis. She had her arms crossed, her foot was tapping…

"I shrugged my shoulders finally. I brought out my own deck box, "I accept."

* * *

**Okay, so here's what will be happening with this fic.**

It is **Not **cancelled, it is just not my main priority right now. The Reluctant Heroes is the story I'm really focusing on. This story will be update, but the **when** will be random. This story is in the backburner **for now**, being worked on in my spare time.

I will also be changing my style of describing the gameplay. I got suggestions of other fics, and I looked in to them, so hopefully things will be better in chapter 4. And I may get around to editing chapter 1 with it.

Thank you guys for reading and thank you again if you are understanding of what's going on.

**Until next year! Bye, everyone.**


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